America Reaches the Vatican: Leo XIV Becomes the First American Pope in History
The Vatican announced today, Thursday, the election of American Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost as the new Pope of the Catholic Church, making him the first pope elected from the United States in the Church’s history.
The new pope, born in Chicago on September 14, 1955, has chosen the name Leo XIV. Prevost, who grew up in a family with French and Italian roots, was close to the late Pope Francis and has held several significant religious positions throughout his career.
Prevost began his studies in mathematics before joining the Order of Saint Augustine in Rome, where he was ordained a priest in 1982. He worked in Peru on religious missions before returning to Chicago to obtain a doctorate in canon law. He then returned to Peru to lead a seminary for training priests.
In 2001, he was elected president of the Augustinian order, a position he held for 12 years. Subsequently, Pope Francis appointed him bishop of the city of Chiclayo in northern Peru, where he continued his work until 2023 and was also a member of the bishops’ conference in Peru.
